The Upgrade to Premium Gift is a tool that appears as a fictionalized, worn-out retail box copy of Team Fortress 2 featuring the Soldier and a peeling barcode sticker. When used, it will grant the user a premium account, giving them perks such as a 300 slot backpack, access to all crafting recipes, and the ability to trade their items to other players. Gifting this item to another player will give the sender the Professor Speks item.

Update history

Fixed a bug that would cause some players who used an "Upgrade to Premium" item to be unable to thank another player after upgrading. Accounts that were affected by this bug have been retroactively fixed and will have the option to thank a helpful player automatically next time they log in.

Trivia

While the barcode was developed in the 1960s, the decade in which Team Fortress 2 takes place, universal barcodes such as the one seen on the Upgrade to Premium Gift were not commonplace until the 1970s.